The Curse Of The Medallion
by SilverWolfSpirit5
Summary: Legend tells of a mysterious artefact, which was created by ancient Gods, combining powers and transferring them into one single Medallion, called "The Medallion of Mitzarah". Whoever posseses it, will be granted with unimaginable power and control. Such power is too threatening and dangerous to leave alone, so Maxus and Roxanne embark on a journey they will never forget.
1. Chapter 1

**The Curse Of The Medallion**

**by SilverWolfSpirit5**

**Warning: Small scene of Voilence**

_**Chapter 1 - Retrieving The Artefact**_

Somewhere in the heart of the desert, the winds picked up and more sandstorms started to form. An hour's journey, with nothing but the company of the heated sun, taking its victims one by one. The ancient ruins began to appear in the distance, over the next sand hill.

The helicopters and trucks suddenly stopped outside, and a large group of men, emerged from the vehicles equipped with their supplies and weapons, prepared to enter the ruins, which –according to their map – would lead them to the temple.

The pillars stretched at an enormous height that the top must've been somewhere in the clouds, crumbled and cracked in parts – it felt like it was standing with its last bit of strength, reflecting just how old the ruins were; thousands of years old at the very least. The floor was incredibly cracked and worn away, that any man would think if they were to walk on it, it would all cave in under their feet. There were also several walls still standing, of what could only be from small buildings that may have been used as an escape route, which led to an underground tunnel deep in the earth; to flee from attackers.

Before they began their search, their leader turned and addressed everyone in a strict manner; "Men, you know the orders: enter the temple and retrieve the artefact. I am reminded to inform you that if anything should go wrong, or if we don't return, do _not _come back for us. We have our mission and you have yours, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir" The others replied at once.

"Any man who falls behind…is left behind, those are the orders" he then looked at his team, who saw they were frightened, he could see it in their faces, "But I highly doubt it'll come to that".

The others nodded back, even though they were far from convinced, and followed as their leader entered the ruins.

As they advanced, one man turned to the other; "What do you know of this artefact?"

"Not much really, The Commander said it was highly confidential, and refused to talk about it" he paused for a minute, "But I heard that it has an enormous amount of an unknown energy source, that anyone could use, especially for power and control"

"So if we retrieve it, what the hell are they going to do with it?"

Their leader overheard and cleared his throat, as he turned to scowl at them, "What the Commander plans to do with it, is no business of ours!" he snapped. "Kindly keep your thoughts to yourself!"

They both nodded and exchanged glances at each other as they continued to follow. Their leader 'Maurice' scanned their map a third time. According to the map, the temple should be right in front of them, but it was nowhere to be seen. He growled in frustration as he looked around him again; "So, where is it?!" he cursed, as he caught sight of something. Maurice went to investigate; on the floor was what it looked like to be the remains of a tent, and near to it, some logs covered in ash, that were stacked in a pyramid. He knew instantly that they weren't the only ones to have come here.

"It seems someone was here before us!" Maurice called. _Could they have already taken the __artefact?_ He thought.

"Great, so it was pretty much a waste of time then, we don't even know if there even is an artefact!" one man snapped, as he leant against a pillar.

"They may have just given up and turned ba-ow!" another man cursed, as his foot landed awkwardly on a lowered level of ground. "Damn it!"

"Wait a minute" Maurice said sharply as he went over to where the soldier was. He bent down and brushed some sand off the uneven ground, to reveal a step. He felt a flicker of odd excitement as he moved a whole bunch of sand from the ground and watched, as the sand collapsed in on itself to reveal a staircase, leading down to an archway, which could only be the entrance to the temple.

"That's it, the temple!" Maurice exclaimed as he patted the man shoulder in gratitude. "Let's go"

As they slowly descended the staircase, some remains of sand crept in from the sides. They stopped at the bottom of stairs, to glance at some ancient text that appeared above the archway. Maurice ignored it and proceeded down the dark tunnel, getting out his torch when it seemed too dark to know where he was stepping. The others reluctantly followed him, getting out their torches too. Maurice peered over his shoulder, and called out to them, "Stay close, men, who knows what danger may be in store for us", and with that, they hurried to his side. The tunnel seemed to go on for miles, and two men started to fall behind, grumbling incoherent profanities under their breath to themselves. When suddenly, one of them stepped on something that seemed raised off of the ground than the other tablets, followed by a large rumbling noise. The others turned back to them in panic; wide- eyed and shaking violently as they heard something stir in the walls. When the noises stopped, they heard a guttural grunt come from one of the soldiers, whose eyes seemed to roll back into his skull, and his dropped open, as they saw a dart had sunk into the side of his neck. He let out a blood curdling gasp as he collapsed to the ground.

Suddenly, from the entrance of the tunnel, they could see several darts shooting out from both sides of the walls, working their way up the tunnel to where they were. "Run!" Maurice shouted as they all sprinted up the rest of the tunnel. No matter how fast they ran the darts were approaching faster. Before they made it to the end of the tunnel, one of the men tripped over a loose tablet on the floor, scrambling to get back to his feet. One of the others turned to assist him, but Maurice grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him along as they ran. "Leave him!" he shouted.

They strained every sinew the last few steps and were unfortunate enough to hear the painful screams coming from their associate, echo around the walls. They leapt out of the cave and dove into water, which seemed to surround a platform, which had pillars on each side.

They carried on through the temple, avoided the traps as best they could, and spotted remains of what were once people; impaled, or too mangled to recognise human features. It unnerved them. They must've been the people that camped outside the temple. They didn't even get close.

Finally, they came across a large tomb, walls filled with ancient drawings and texts. Maurice spotted in the middle of the room, a large stone table, with a stone shaped hand enclosing around a triangular necklace.

_That was it! The Medallion! _

"Men, behold the artefact! The Medallion of Mitzarah!" Maurice announced proudly as he went to retrieve it.

"What, that's it?! We lost two of our men, for that?!" One of the soldiers snapped.

"You should be proud"

"It wasn't worth the loss of good men"

Maurice ignored him, and went to retrieve the Medallion, but the hands grip did not loosen, and before he could question it, he could hear unintelligible whispers that sounded like it was coming from the artefact, like an ancient language. Maurice stared intently at it, and the whispers grew louder in his ears, until he completely blanked out the other men who were trying to get his attention.

"Sir! Listen to us for once. Just give us the damn necklace and let's get out of here!" They all stared at Maurice, waiting for an outburst to come from him, but he slowly turned around with a cruel smile creeping on his face.

"No, it's mine now!" he said in a low sinister tone.

"Si-Maurice, what the hell are you doing?! Look, we'll take the necklace then"

"Did you not hear me? The Medallion is rightfully _mine!_" he screamed as he took a step towards them and raised his gun.

"Maurice, can't you see that… _thing, _has corrupted you, please, just give us the artefact"

"Never!" Maurice roared as he opened fire on his associate, propelling him against the wall, with a loud thud. The soldier slid slowly down the wall, smearing it with his blood as he did so.

The others watched in horror as Maurice gave them a challenging glare, daring them to make a move. One of them raised their gun to Maurice's head and threatened him to drop his weapon.

"You traitor!" He snarled.

Maurice only scowled as he spotted the other soldier making his way towards the artefact._ How foolish of him_, he thought. Maurice quickly turned and shot him in the head without hesitating, oblivious that it was a decoy. Before he could turn to the other soldier again, he felt a painful sensation in his ribs. Looking down, he'd seen he had been shot, but he refused to go down this easily. Maurice collapsed to his knees, and spattered blood from his mouth, before swiftly raising his gun, to shoot the soldier straight in the stomach.

They both panted and grunted, as they waited for the other to go down first. Maurice coughed again, and dropped to his hands, trying to keep his weight up. He lifted his head slightly to the see the soldier still watching him through hooded eyes as his strength gave in and he collapsed to the floor, exhaling his last breath.

The soldier made a weak attempt to reach for his radio, dropping it onto the floor. He slowly bent down, putting his mouth next to the radio, waiting for a response.

_"…Private? Private, what's going on down there?"_

"All of the men…they're….dead…." he struggled

_"Dead?! Wha- All of them, how?!"_

There was no response, as he collapsed to the ground, drawing out his last breath.

_"Private?!...Private!"_

* * *

**Author's Note: The beginning of my fanfiction is here finally. I would love to hear feedback from you guys! 3**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2 – The Heist**_

The Commander leant over the desk, hands roughly gripping the table as he tapped his finger against it impatiently. Every second that ticked by, seemed like an entire hour. His room was dead silent, with only the loud ticking noises from the clock to have been heard; it felt like they were mocking him. In front of him, a screen displayed a holographic image of the ruins – however, he had not yet been updated on whether the mission was a success or a failure; instead, he had been left here, with all sorts of haunting thoughts invading his mind.

Insomnia did damaging things to the psyche. He had not slept a wink recently, due to his horrific nightmares that tortured him to no end. Ignoring the warnings of the locals that many people who enter the temple never make it out, he never could have imagined the screams from the poor souls would enter his dreams. Although he had no idea what to expect in the mysterious temple, he highly doubted that the temple was set with traps that still operated successfully today. That was absurd.

Suddenly, a laboratory assistant burst through the door, clutching a note in his hand and panting heavily, like he'd ran a marathon to get to the head office. His expression could only be described as shock, as he tried to find the words to come tumbling out of his mouth.

"Well, get on with it! How long must I be left in the dark?" the Commander snapped.

"Commander, they've returned-"

"Finally, send someone to retrieve the artefact and bring it to Head Office."

"That's just it sir, they don't have the artefact and from what I've heard, none of them made it back alive…"

"What?! None of them? But those were some of our top soldiers" He shook his head and eyed the assistant suspiciously, his eyes turning to serpentine slits. "How did this happen?"

"We don't know. But it must've happened in the temple"

The Commander scoffed at his comment, but he couldn't help but think of the possibility, that they might have wandered into a death trap from the beginning. Perhaps, the legends were true. He shook his head and scolded himself for believing in that superstitious nonsense. He realised then that he had remained silent for too long, and gave the assistant a cold glare.

"There is no proof of that. You may go-"

"Maybe it's true what they say, about how the artefact can corrupt people"

"Nonsense! Maurice and the others were obedient soldiers; they would never turn against one another in a crisis. They were most likely ambushed"

"I doubt that, sir"

"Oh, do you now. Well maybe_ you_ know what happened to them"

"No, I-I don't sir" He stammered.

"I thought not. Now get back to your post! We'll hear no more of this!" the Commander snapped, as he turned and stared intently out the window, into the gloomy sight of the city. He didn't know whether it was just his mood, but the city felt really grey today. He stood silently as the rain continued to hammer down outside.

_If that attempt failed, then we'll have to try something else. But how, without losing any more of my men? Just what is this artefact?_

* * *

_3 Days Later…_

_On the other side of the world…._

It was dead on midnight, and the city seemed so at peace. Only a few cars now and then drove by, headlights lighting up the road.

At night, the city felt so much colder, even though it was summer. It was indescribable how the city had a sinister feel to it, when it reached the late hours of the evening. Everyone would be exhausted after a labouring day at work and would be in a rush to get home, just so they could collapse onto their bed – some even skipping their dinner.

An advantage of people leaving their workplace would be their shops being abandoned and occasionally unprotected. Unlucky for some.

_But __lucky for people like me,_ Roxanne thought as a cruel smile crept upon her face.

She had reverted back to her old ways after leaving the tournament empty handed. Even now, the tournament still infuriated her, how everything was a set up from the start, and how much effort she had put into winning. Roxanne was so certain that receiving the Fallen Star Relic would change her life; that she would've have to continue taking orders from Ratchet, battling the 'Fearsome Fighters' all the time and listen to any more of Blaise's threatening talk. It's wasn't that she didn't enjoy getting under people's skin- it was just that she thought she needed a break from that for a while.

But of course, in some cases, the tournament had changed her life, and she smirked to herself when she recalled her first confrontation with Maxus. Though she had not seen him for months now, it still felt like yesterday that they fought alongside each other and defeated that Demon; 'Esper', before parting ways. She suddenly wondered what he was doing now, was he thinking of the same memories? Did he…miss her?

Roxanne shook her head and scolded herself for letting her thoughts wander. _Priorities, Roxanne__, _she thought.

She ran around the block; slamming her back against the wall, when she saw a police car patrolling the area. Checking the coast was clear, she shot across the road, oblivious to an oncoming car. She turned to meet the blinding headlights approaching her, and she swiftly jumped onto the hood of the car, as the wheels and brakes screeched as the car came to a quick stop. The driver honked their horn repeatedly while cursing profanities at her in a low growl. Roxanne leapt of the hood and continued to run for the Museum.

Roxanne scaled the building and headed for the rooftop. She glanced around her and spotted an air vent, which was a sublime way of entering the building undetected. She roughly gripped its bars and tore it straight off its screws, to reveal a small tunnel. Though she knew it would be a bit of a squeeze, she crawled through anyway.

When Roxanne felt she had gone far enough, she stopped at the next air vent that was attached to the ceiling, and stared beneath her, checking for cameras or security guards. She could hear faint whirring noises as she inspected closely and caught sight of several security cameras moving side to side down the corridor.

"Hmph, too easy" she smirked, as she made to drop from the ceiling into the hallway, but heavy footfalls and a sharp, low voice stopped her underneath her.

"I'm to take over now, you're to go home." The security guard stated.

"Are you sure? It's really late-"

"Yes, go home and get some rest. I know you haven't been sleeping well"

_Damn it! _How could she of missed that guard, she would've been caught by now if she hadn't been careful. She huffed in frustration as she slowly removed the air vent cover, and peered down again, watching the guards every move.

Roxanne saw her chance as the guard turned her back – she jumped from the ceiling and immediately dashed down the corridor, leaping wall to wall in an attempt to avoid the cameras.

She finally made it to the room she was looking for, where the grail was perched on its stand, which was well protected if the red alarm beams scattered all around the room were anything to go by. _As if that would stop me__, _she snorted_._Roxanne exhaled a deep breath, before leaping left and right to avoid touching the beams.

She smiled smugly as she smashed the glass containing the grail, and swiped it from the stand. "My, aren't you a beauty?"

But to her surprise, the alarms were triggered and they screeched into her ears and throughout the building. She was caught off guard when several guards ran into the room and caught a glimpse of her, before they all began charging at her at once. She jumped four feet into the air, so they all collided with the stand; knocking it over and getting their limbs entangled with one another's. Roxanne gave the guards a dark scowl, before blasting her way through the ceiling; back onto the rooftop again, only to be ambushed by several police cars.

Thinking quickly, she leapt off the roof in one swift motion and sprinted down a dark alleyway, where they couldn't follow her, or, so she thought.

She peered behind her to see several police officers chasing her down the alleyway, calling after her. Roxanne growled loudly as she turned to toss several ice spears towards them.

"Look out!" Their chief cried as he shoved the other officers down to the ground. He looked back up to see Roxanne still running and he frowned as he spoke into his radio, "Target sighted, heading towards Beacon Broadway…target is armed, I repeat, target is armed."

Roxanne exited the alleyway and sprinted down the road, hearing the sound of approaching police cars. "Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" She cursed.

* * *

**Author's Note: Another chapter up! Gonna keep it coming!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Curse of the Medallion: Chapter 3 – A Strange Reunion:**_

Maxus leant his back against the trunk of an old oak, its branches hanging over him like a veil to muffle the rest of the world. Cold winds blowing gently against his face, as he inhaled and exhaled deeply, feeling a strong and foreign sense of peace.

5 months after the tournament, and he finally had the chance to adapt to his normal life again, or the closest he could get to it. He felt that he had never really left. He thought about all his opponents, the variety of personalities and objectives each displayed.

Maxus couldn't help but let his mind wander, when an image of Roxanne flashed across his mind. That cruel and mischievous smirk of hers, her uninhibited anger, her acts of innocence and most of all; her fighting spirit. Maxus admired her for that. In some strange way, thinking about her was soul-soothing, like, when he fought 'Esper'; she was his anchor. He really tried to establish what he felt for her exactly; she was certainly not a moral person, but in some way, he looked past that, he saw her vulnerable side, and somehow, he found that oddly charming.

Maxus scoffed and shook his head. _Why should he be thinking of her? _She probably wasn't thinking of him. She was probably already out there, stealing whatever precious items she could get her hands on, without a single thought; since she was really ticked off, when discovering that the prize never existed.

Maxus snapped out his thoughts when he heard a sudden gunshot echoing from the nearby city. His blood turned cold in a heartbeat, as he scrambled to his feet. Whatever that was, it couldn't be good. Without another thought he headed for the city, even though it was probably none of his business and knew better than to get involved, but when someone in danger, he never walked away.

* * *

Sudden police cars raced around the corner, almost knocking Roxanne down to the road, as she raced off in the other direction, determined to shake them off her tail. _They sure don't give up, do they? Stubborn idiots! _She thought snidely. She sprinted down the docks and hid under a nearby bridge and leant back in the shadows. She dared not move when the officers arrived and seemed to be searching for from above, completely oblivious that she lurking below.

They turned to leave, until a young officer called after them, as his eyes caught something. "Wait, I think there's something down there!"

"Something or someone" their chief stated as he turned to another officer and whispered in a low tone, "Get the dogs".

The German shepherds looked around frantically as they were slowly brought out and clipped with a lead as they led them round the corner, the dogs yanking on their leads now and then, showing their eagerness. They were lead slowly down the steps, and Roxanne picked up a rock and threw it in the opposite direction, which instantly directed their attention away from where she was hiding. She saw her only opportunity and made a dash for it. One of the younger officers caught her shadow and announced it to the others.

In an instant, the Shepherds were released and they pursued her; barking and snarling as they ran. Roxanne could tell that they were closing in on her as their snarling grew louder. She reached a dead end, and skidded to a halt as she quickly turned to see them charging towards her; so close, she could make out the blue and amber tints in their eyes.

Her anger had reached its point; she had only one shot at this. Roxanne swiftly leant forward and snarled at them, bringing her jaw forward making sure to show them all her fangs, as she revealed her claws too, just as a last resort. She watched in slight bafflement as they retreated; ears backwards and tails between their legs as they ran back to the officers. She scoffed, before turning again, and scaling the wall in haste, before they came back.

The Shepherds darted round the corner, whimpering and whining as they nuzzled their faces in the officers' legs.

"What the hell?" The chief asked.

Roxanne stopped running in an attempt to get her breath back, as she glanced behind her. Not one policeman in sight.

"I…must've lost them" she rasped out in a single breath.

She took a moment to admire the grail she had stolen, its jewels reflecting in her eyes, the interesting designs and the surprisingly smooth surface it bestowed. _It must've been tampered with before they displayed it, that'__s odd,_ she thought. As she examined it, she caught sight of a peculiar symbol imprinted on the back, but she couldn't quite make out what it looked like.

"What's that?" she squinted as she rubbed her thumb over the symbol.

Suddenly, the annoying sounds of the sirens invaded her ears again, and were getting louder by the second.

"Damn it!" Roxanne cursed, as she shoved the grail back into her bag with the other items. She quickly got to her feet and made a run for it again, but she collided with someone else only after taking a few steps, and they both fell to the floor, with a loud thud. She smacked her head on the concrete, and cursed loudly as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Just what is your problem?! Why don't you watch where you're running, you moron!" Roxanne snarled as she slowly leant up. Her eyes peered open and met a hand that was lowered and hovering above her head, like it was waiting to be taken.

Roxanne huffed as she slapped the hand away from her and forced herself up, grunting as she did so. She turned to stranger to lecture them some more, if they were the only thing around she could take her anger out on, then so be it, but she faltered when she instantly recognised their features, especially their eyes…those familiar eyes. She felt her breath hitch in her throat, and she struggled with words as he crept closer, emerging from the shadows so she could see him better.

"M-Maxus?" She stammered as her heart beat rapidly in her chest.

"Long time, no see" Maxus said bluntly as his eyes roamed her.

"What the hell are you doing here, of all places?"

"Well, I was chilling out, until I heard a gunshot coming from around here, and I figure you would have something to do with that?" Maxus arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, were you worried I got _hurt_?" Roxanne said sweetly, before a cruel smirk crept across her lips. "You needn't worry about that. A policeman took a shot at me, but they missed by a mile"

She took a few steps towards him and placed a single finger against his chest, and glided it down flirtatiously. "It's kind of sweet that you were concerned for me, but you've wasted your time, 'cause I don't need anyone's concern, I'm managing perfectly fine on my own" she spat as she made to move past him, but he gripped her onto her forearm, it was not a rough grip, but firm, enough to make her look directly into his eyes in protest as she tried to yank her arm away from him.

Maxus' eyes were intense and never left her face. It almost made her feel exposed and vulnerable, but she shook it off and stared straight back. "You haven't told me _why _the cops are after you" he spoke to her calmly and assertively, as though speaking to a pupil. Somehow that irked her like hell.

She tilted her head to the side and scoffed, "_Really_? You've known me long enough to know the sort of stuff I get up to" She looked at him like it was the stupidest question she'd ever been asked.

His brow creased and eyed her bag, which he guessed would only be filled with stolen items. _Of course _he snorted. "And…what exactly do you plan to do with those?" Maxus questioned.

"Now _that's_ none of your concern – "The sirens returned again, heading in their direction, "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Roxanne, don't you think it's time you moved on from this, I mean…believe it or not, you are better than this…" He lifted his head and locked eyes with hers.

Roxanne faltered at that comment, had he just admitted that he thought more of her than this? As a…better person?

She stared back at him, her eyes never leaving his. Damn it, she hated how she was hesitant around him, and it seemed he could see straight through her, and that made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Her brow creased and she shook her head at him, "_No_, of course not. Just stay out of the way" she snapped, before she turned and ran.

Maxus sighed deeply and shook his head, as he thought about his next move. Even though there was probably no hope of changing her mind, he didn't want her to get hurt. He looked around him, and saw some cop cars approaching, so he turned on his heel and ran in Roxanne's direction, cautious not to lead them straight to her, and keep his distance from Roxanne herself.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Curse of the Medallion: Chapter 4 – Pursuit **_

Roxanne kept running, no matter what, she would sooner turn herself in, than let those morons catch her. She peered over her shoulder a split second and could see the cops were closing in on her. She was an easy target at the moment, she needed to think of something and fast. Roxanne turned again, to see that several police cars were heading towards her from the front too. Feeling surrounded, she sprinted towards the nearest skyscraper, and leapt on the wall, as she ascended the building.

As Roxanne climbed, she could hear the police crowding at the bottom of the building as they watched her in bafflement. She heard some officers call for back-up, and she cursed to herself when she almost lost her grip.

Meanwhile, Maxus watched her from a distance, advancing to the top of the skyscraper.

Several minutes later, Roxanne made it to the top. She leant over the edge and noticed that more officers had arrived, and she suddenly noticed an approaching helicopter approaching her. She did her best to hide, by ducking behind a small wall, until the helicopter had moved to hover over the other buildings. Roxanne took the time to assemble her stolen items into her bag, completely oblivious that someone was standing behind her.

"You know, I figured I would give you one last chance."

She jerked in surprise and swiftly turned around to meet his gaze. "Maxus! For once, I have no quarrel with you, so why don't you just stay out of the way!"

"To avoid a fight; I'd like it if you could return those" he nodded towards the stolen items.

"Not a chance; then I wouldn't be a thief, would I?"

"Roxanne, stealing won't make you feel any better, alright? And you know I can't just let you leave with them in your possession"

"Stealing isn't about making me feel better; it's about power, to know that I'm in control of my own life, which is more than I can say after all those years at the orphanage"

Maxus hesitated a little, as a small pained expression flashed across her features. He was almost mesmerised by her, until she snapped him out of his trance.

"So what do you plan to do? Turn me in?" Roxanne asked.

"Of course not, I plan to encourage you to return them, since if you don't, you'll just make things worse for yourself"

"I'm already a wanted fugitive – as soon as I set foot on the ground again, they'll arrest me, so you think that they'll believe me if I returned their stuff due to a sudden change of heart? I don't think so"

"Fine. I'll return them myself, and you can walk away free" He reached for them, but she snatched them away from his touch

"No"

"Roxanne, I'm not gonna fight you for them –"

"Good."

"- But I'm not gonna back down either, so just give them to me"

"Does my answer need repeating?"

Maxus scowled at her witty question. She really had not changed at all; which was good in some bizarre…way. He sighed, before snatching the items from her grasp and jumping out of her way. He turned to meet her surprised look; almost uncertain of what just happened, and smirked before walking away from her, preparing himself for a large jump ahead.

Roxanne let out a low growl before launching herself over him, to land straight in front of him, before he could take another step. Maxus shook his head at her, "Look, you-" But before he could finish, she practically pounced on him, wrapping her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck, before smothering his parted lips with her own; kissing him hard and frenziedly between shallow breaths.

Maxus was shocked for a couple of seconds, but almost immediately responded as he started to kiss her back, feeling that there was something desperate in her kiss that was too urgent to resist, oblivious to Roxanne's true intentions.

She smiled as she felt him match her pace, which left him feeling a little light headed. She slowly lowered her hand to the bag of items in his possession, before tearing her mouth away. Roxanne looked at him and caught his dilated pupils, before smirking. "Thank you…" she whispered as she snatched the items from him and hurled herself away, for a quick escape. She ran towards the edge of the skyscraper and leapt towards the next one.

"Roxanne!" Maxus called as he went after her, cursing himself that he let his guard down. "Damn it!"

Maxus eventually caught up with her, and called behind her in a frustrated manner. "That was a real cheap shot, you know that?!"

Roxanne glanced over her shoulder and smirked at him. "Who cares?! It worked!"

"I didn't want to have to do this Roxanne, but you've left me no choice!" he snarled as he released several black flames to advance towards her.

Roxanne shrieked in surprise, and leapt out of their way to see them explode into the next building. When she landed, she snarled loudly as she quickly turned to see, _him. _She could feel her fingers decreasing in temperature rapidly as they started to form ice spears. "I see how it is!"

With a swift movement, she jumped in the air and shot several ice spears towards him, her other hand still gripping her bag of stolen goods. Maxus leapt backwards, watching as they wedged into the buildings ceiling before him, oblivious that Roxanne started to summon ice spears from the floor under his feet. He pushed himself off of the ground with his hand and did a swift summersault to avoid the spikes, whilst trying to throw a punch at her. Roxanne dodged them and quickly launched herself up and clipped his chin with her foot, sending him to the ground as he landed on his back with a loud _thud_. Before she could even think of a next move, he was on his feet again and tossing more flames towards her. One of the flames exploded in front of her, making her stagger backwards and flinch in shock.

Roxanne glanced up in time to see Maxus leaping through the smoke, with his fist leading the way, which she mirrored as she went to throw a punch at him too, but they missed each other by an inch. Now it seemed like close combat as Roxanne made to kick him again, but he grabbed her foot and ruthlessly shoved down as he threw a punch at her. She easily deflected it with her arm, shoving his hand aside, before she whipped her leg across the ground in a circular manner, knocking him completely off of his feet, and clipping his chin again with a forceful kick.

Maxus struggled to his feet, and glanced up to see Roxanne standing there, panting, like her legs were going to give way at any minute. "Heh, not bad." he smirked.

"Think so? Yeah, well, I'm done trying to convince you otherwise…and you can't say you didn't have it coming to you"

"But you seriously think that a few kicks will stop me? Can't you see I'm _trying_ to help you, but evidently…failing at it?"

"As if you would try to help me…as if you care?!" Roxanne snarled as she made to make another attack, but Maxus ducked in time and suddenly kicked her bag out of her grasp, sending it flying through the air and over the edge of the building.

Roxanne quickly rushed over to the edge and realised the items would surely shatter as soon as they collided with the ground at that speed. "No!" she shouted as she twirled her body around and quickly dragged herself down the building; her sharp claws digging into the skyscrapers walls as she slid down, so she wouldn't lose her grip like last time.

When she thought she was close enough, she leapt from the wall and grabbed the bag, pulling it to her chest, before landing in an elegant manner on her feet. She untied the knot and checked to make sure that everything was still inside.

Suddenly, she was surrounded by several police cars, and all the officers were out in a heartbeat, aiming their guns at her. Even the helicopters returned and shone a spotlight on her.

"You're completely surrounded! Put your hands behind your head, now! Their chief shouted over the sirens.

"Pfft! Keep dreaming!" Roxanne scoffed as she prepared to raise ice spears from the ground to impale the cars, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned to see Maxus again, with what could only be described as a painful expression on his face. Her brow creased in defiance but, her body softened a little at his touch. Maybe she was just too exhausted to protest. Yeah, that was it.

She was too distracted by him to notice that she had suddenly been handcuffed. However, these handcuffs seem advanced, because as she squirmed, she could feel the pressure around her wrists increase, to a point where she thought her wrists might actually snap in half.

Roxanne was obviously not going down without a fight; she kicked anyone who advanced towards her and one policeman tried to manoeuvre her towards the car, but she bit them, hard. Hard enough that he saw a flash of red on his hand, trickling between his fingertips.

Maxus watched on as he saw another policeman jab something into her side, and in split seconds, she went totally limp. They obviously gave up in moving her while she thrashed about like she was a few moments ago. He knew she was a lot to handle.

However, this situation would not go unscathed. Roxanne would eventually wake up, to find herself in prison, remembering the he had made her hesitate to escape, instantly blaming it on him and go back to her brooding self, trying to get revenge on him at every passing moment.

Hmm, maybe later, he should go talk to her.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Curse of the Medallion: Chapter 5 – A Mysterious Visitor**_

Maxus realised he still possessed the bag of stolen goods in his hand, and presented it to the chief of police, who gave him a stern look, before nodding to him in gratitude. Maxus sensed that would be the closest he would get to a having a 'Thank you'.

He was about to turn and leave, when the chief addressed him again. "Thank you for the assistance, but next time, leave it to the professionals" he said reluctantly.

That comment irked Maxus like hell. No matter what he did or who he assisted, he was never fully appreciated. Maxus shot him a death glare and huffed in aggravation, before he followed in the direction of the police car.

Roxanne squirmed as they manoeuvred her down the hall, cells on either side, closing her in, until they found a particular cell that they felt was strong and study enough to handle her. They tried to shove her in, but she slapped her hands flat on the wall and pushed back against their combined strengths. Roxanne growled in protest as they continued to push against her, until one elbowed her straight in the back, which instantly made her lose her grip on the wall as she plummeted to the ground. She felt the pain shoot right up her spine and across her shoulder blades, as she coughed, trying to regain her urge to breathe. She struggled to her feet to view them still staring at her with the deepest loathing and the feeling was mutual. She marched towards the soldiers and scraped her claws down the clear cell door, finding that the trail of her claws repaired itself in a matter of few seconds. It seemed that the cells had better defences than she thought; it must've been from all the new technology.

"You think you can crack me in here?! I've spent my entire life in one of these, so this is nothing to me! You hear me!" She snarled at them as they exchanged amused looks at each other before walking away with her still screaming at them.

When the guards were out of her sight, she turned and leant against the door and slowly slid down, her eyes welled with tears, trying to choke back an impending sob, as she huddled her knees together and curled them in close to her body – just like she used to when she was a child. Her gaze travelled to the window, displaying the night sky in all its patterns and illuminating lights. Roxanne had almost forgotten what it was like to be imprisoned like this. It had been years since her time at the orphanage, but it seemed that her years there, are forever scarred in her memories, and forever scarred physically too.

There was no way she would be able to sleep tonight….

The early hours of the morning, shone through the window, blinding Roxanne as soon as she raised her head. She had not slept a wink in this cell, and she knew it would only get worse.

She raised herself up from the shelf that was supposedly a bed and sat there in silence, succumbing to her thoughts racing around in her head, before she suddenly spotted people lurking outside her cell. Roxanne studied them, to find the two guards who mocked her were there along with Maxus. She couldn't work out what he was saying, but it almost looked like he was trying to persuade somehow.

"All I'm asking for is five minutes!" Maxus said in a gruff voice, tired that he had been arguing with them for at least 15 minutes.

"We are forbidden to let anyone into the cell-"

"Look, if she tries anything, I alert you, alright?!" he knew his voice had risen, but he was getting impatient. They finally nodded in agreement and told him to be quick about it. He knew he wouldn't get a warm welcome from her, he expected as much.

Roxanne huffed and rolled her eyes at him as he stood near the door, watching her every move cautiously. "What do you want now, Maxus? You've done enough already." She eyed him warily "You here to gloat?"

"No, of course not. I just wanna know something. Why do you do this?"

Roxanne stared at him in disbelief. "What do mean 'Why'? It's just my – it's just what I do. I can't explain it. But what business is it of yours anyway?!"

"Roxanne, I've said it before; I'm only trying to help." He crept a little closer "Sooner or later you'll realise, when you're in one of these again, that it never did you much good. It just reminds you too much of your time at the orphanage." Roxanne just stared at him as he crept even closer and sat next to her.

"I know. I get past that. But I can't get past my ambitions, since all I ever used to be was knocked out of me…literally"

Maxus really wanted to comfort her somehow, maybe a lock of their fingers or something, but he restrained himself.

"Some people are beyond change, Maxus"

"Not you." Maxus interrupted

"Why are you saying this?" she whispered.

Maxus was about to give her answer when the cell door suddenly opened, and in stepped in a guard with keys in his grasp, eyeing Roxanne with displeasure. He strolled over to her, ignoring Maxus' glare and cupped her wrists, before sliding the iron key into the slot, discarding the handcuffs. Roxanne fiddled with her wrists, since the handcuffs seemed to have imprinted several lines around them, and watched in surprise as he turned to leave, before flatly stating, "You're free to leave"

Roxanne and Maxus exchanged puzzled glances, until a man in a navy suit, strolled in with a curious look across his face, sizing them up. "You must be Roxanne I've heard about"

"Yeah. So what?"

"I'm Commander Bridges, and I'm in need of your services." He eyed Maxus. "And you Maxus, I'll need your assistance also. Follow me"

"But surely-"Roxanne began.

"The charges have been dropped." The Commander glanced behind him, to give a pointed look at them both, before leaving the cell, without looking to see whether they followed.

Roxanne and Maxus looked at each other. They were sure they had the same questions in mind, like: _How does he know us? What does he want us for? What does it intend?_

Maxus looked at Roxanne again and nodded before following the Commander.

Roxanne was about to reach out and stop him, but she restrained herself as she sighed irately. "I guess I don't have a choice" she grumbled as she reluctantly followed, eyeing the other prisoners who watched her walk away free, after spending only a couple of hours in her cell, while they mostly spent years.

They proceeded through the building to view a metallic black car parked outside, with two guards in black suits standing guard on each side, with their black shades on - like it wasn't dark enough today already.

Roxanne hesitated at first, and would reluctantly admit to herself that she was slightly unnerved by this sight. She could feel that she was getting herself into something dangerous, but as usual, her curiosity outweighed her fear. At least Maxus was here too. That was the only upside, that there was a little company. She had apparently stopped for too long, since the Commander was calling her and opening the car door.

Roxanne eased herself inside to sit next to Maxus, who was watching her in concern, since he could feel how uncomfortable and unnerved she felt. Commander Bridges eased himself in too, on the other side of Maxus as he told the driver to take them to Headquarters.

Suddenly the Commanders turned to them and spoke to them with uninhibited interest. "I know this seems out of the blue, but the importance of this information and proposal I am about to give you, can be over-stated"

Maxus and Roxanne wait for him to elaborate but he doesn't. Not until after several minutes.

"We have a proposition for you, one that is dangerous, but rewarding in no way you could imagine. I'll explain in detail, when we arrive, since we have references and tons of research collected at HQ" He pauses; when he sees something familiar "How did you retrieve those?" he asks Roxanne as he spots her hand grasping her bag of stolen items.

Roxanne cursed that she wasn't able to hide them in time. She had refused to lose them again, since every item in there, had been obtained in a difficult escape. She wasn't going to do that all for nothing. She honestly wanted to snap at him, since he hadn't provided many real answers at all yet, and she refused to play a part in his little scheme until she knew exactly what was going on.

"I managed to obtain them on the way out" she replied bluntly.

Maxus shakes his head at her, while Bridges scoffed in amusement. "Maybe you will be capable for this after all."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Curse of the Medallion: Chapter 6 – The Medallion of Mitzarah **_

As the car turned the final corner, Roxanne brought herself forward and closer to the window, until her nose was just touching, and gazed at the grand building they were driving towards. It stood tall and proud- four white pillars stood at the top of the stairs, leading to a wide double door. The building looked like it had several floors by the height, but Roxanne guessed it was just for design. It made the building seem out of place in this city.

The car pulled to a too sudden stop, the tires screeching and Maxus and Roxanne's bodies were hurled forward slightly, with only their seatbelts as their restraint from smacking into the seats in front. The Commander seemed eager to proceed though, as he scrambled out of his seat and slammed the door behind him, waiting outside the car until they followed.

Maxus was about to exit the car until Roxanne's trembling voice stopped him. He missed what she said – she had spoken so quietly, like she knew was forbidden to speak a word at all. Maxus turned back to her, to see that she was looking at him through hooded eyes - she looked so vulnerable then. She looked…scared.

"Maxus, we can't trust him. Who knows what the hell he's scheming – and whether or not we have a role to play or not. I know these types. They manipulate you into doing deeds for them, some things that you would never do, making you think you're doing the right thing, until they deceive you at the very…last…moment-" Roxanne spoke her last words slowly, trying to get her seriousness about the situation.

"Hey" – Maxus cupped her hands this time, surprised when she didn't pull away, but simply frowned at him - "It's going to be alright. For now, we go along with it, and if it seems suspicious, we'll simply refuse"

"Hate to break to you, but it may not be _that_ simple –"she snapped, as she slowly dragged her hands away from his grasp.

"Fine. Then just…be on your guard" Maxus said sharply as he gave her one last glance.

A sudden knock at the window from the Commander, snapped them from their train of thoughts. "Come along, now! Time is short; we must not waste valuable time" He said impatiently as he waved for them to follow him into the building. Maxus gave Roxanne one last glance as he got out the car and followed.

Roxanne huffed in aggravation as she stumbled out of the car and slammed the door behind her, hard enough to make the entire car vibrate. She was surprised that the window didn't shatter. She cautiously eyed the two guards who were perched by the door, almost like they were waiting for her, until she realised they _were_ actually waiting for her. One glared down at her and nodded his head towards the door.

Roxanne eventually caught up with them, only to be suddenly restrained by two muscular men who grabbed her arms, pushing her down and pinning her down to the floor. She almost choked as the sudden feeling of pressure swept down her back, as one dug his elbow into her and pulled both her arms behind her back. "What the hell- What the hell are you doing?!" She snarled.

"We were instructed to search you! Make sure you are unarmed" One of the guards stead steadily as the other began the search.

"Oh, as if I would try and assassinate the Commander!" Roxanne drawled slowly. "Get off of me!"

"I found something!" He clutched her bag firmly in his grasp as he hoisted her up on her feet. The Commander eyed Roxanne cautiously as he retrieved the bag, oblivious that the ancient grail rolled out of the bag and clattered to the floor.

"Hey! Be careful with that!" Roxanne snapped.

The Commander scoffed and was about to pick it up, when he saw an unusual symbol crested on the bottom of the grail, but it was too covered and cracked to make out what it was. He handled it with great care as he called upon one of his soldiers. "Take this down to the professor. I shall want to have it analysed, it seems familiar."

Roxanne watched as the soldier stomped off and spat back at Bridges, "What the hell do you plan do with it?! It's rightfully mine! Get it back!"

"It's out of your hands now, Roxanne. And technically, it's no possession of yours, it belongs to the museum."

"Either way, I had it first." - Roxanne growled lowly – "I would appreciate it if you and your men could keep your slimy hands off of it"

"All in due time. Come" Bridges nodded back at the guards who hesitantly released her.

Roxanne ripped herself away from them and stomped off after Bridges and Maxus, adamant that she would not anyone else push her around like that again.

They had wandered around the building for what seemed like forever. There were so many rooms, filled with computers, science equipment, weapons and long tables you expect to find in military meetings. They proceed to the end of the hall, and out of nowhere, a staircase was revealed in the floor, leading down into an illuminated hallway, with an eerie green glow. The slowly descended the staircase into a large room filled with computers and one large table stood in the centre, displaying scattered holographic images. Commander Bridges collapsed in a seat in front of the holographic screen as offered them both a seat on the opposite side, so they still could see him through the screen.

"Now, I know you're wondering why I've brought you here, but you must know that out situation is urgent and we are in great need of your assistance."

Roxanne glanced at Maxus who still had his eyes traced on Bridges, encouraging him to continue.

"So…?"

"So, I'm sure you've heard of an ancient relic; a medallion to be precise, buried deep in the heart of Jordan-"He paused as he saw their blank expressions and chuckled. "No of course not."

Bridges shifted in his seat as he cleared his throat, which could be what Roxanne guessed, was only the start of a monologue.

"Ancient stories tell us of a mysterious artefact, that was believed to be hand crafted by the ancient Gods themselves-"

Roxanne snorted, only to be given death glares from Maxus and Bridges.

"_As I was saying -__ the artefact was supposed to be sent to our world as punishment for man's greed__ for power. So, they gave the medallion unnatural qualities, to give whoever possessed it, so much power that was unthinkable.__ However, they also cast a terrible curse upon it; that whoever tried to retrieve it for their own lust for power, the victim would be corrupted, and be driven insane until__ their defences were broken, and possibly possessed. __This medallion was a way to show man, what it was becoming, and to demonstrate how power truly corrupts the weak. __It was known as the 'Medallion of Mitzarah' – the God of Vengeance._

_I know many people have tried to retrieve it, for their own intentions__, but their minds had been corrupted, forcing them to turn against their own allies…"_Bridges lowered his head a little and paused. _"Such power like that is too threatening and far too dangerous to leave unscathed__, one of which could be devastating in the wrong hands. So it was our mission to destroy it, for the good and safety of our people, as I fear more and more are attempting to steal it__. We've lost so many soldiers…I underestimated the Medallions power…"_ Bridges, hovered his hand over an icon on the holographic screen, and suddenly the Medallion was shown in 3D on the screen, rotating with all the information scattering around the screen, ancient texts, last sightings and all sorts. "And that's where you two come in"

"Us? How can we help?" Maxus shrugged.

"I know you two are supreme beings that have had experience in these sorts of events am I correct?"

Maxus and Roxanne's memories came hurling back into their heads, yes they've had experience. But they didn't want to relive the memories, or continue down that path. They wanted to forget, more than anything. However, they both simply nodded.

"You two will be the perfect agents to enter the tomb and retrieve the artefact so we can destroy it-"

"Why not destroy it in the tomb?" Maxus interrupted.

"The Medallion cannot be destroyed in its own environment, we believe we have found a way to destroy it, but it must be brought here"

"So, this mission-"Roxanne started "Will it be increasingly dangerous, 'cause I'd rather not put my life on the line for the sake of others."

"Far more dangerous, than the usual thefts you carry out"

"Hmm, I don't really see what's in it for me" Roxanne sneered.

Maxus observed Bridges reaction; he seemed to have a murderous look in his eye at that point, like he was using all his strength, to not reach across the table and slap her. He could believe that.

"…Your survival" the Commander put flatly, as he glared her down. "Many other lives are at stake here, not just yours Roxanne"

"Whatever" Roxanne mumbled as she shifted in her seat.

"Can I entrust this task to you? Are you willing?" Bridges asked, mostly to Maxus.

"We will do what we can, if it's for the safety of others" Maxus answered.

Roxanne sighed next to him and shook her head, like he had just said the most inappropriate thing of the year.

"Thank you. I am deeply grateful for your help"

"Don't get your hopes up. I just have nothing better to do – since my possessions were taken from me, without permission" Roxanne said spitefully.

"Now, at dawn in a few days' time,"- Bridges said, ignoring her comment- "you will be transported straight to 'Petra' in Jordan – it's a 5 miles walk into the heart of the desert to the hidden ruins. It is there, where you shall retrieve the Medallion and return to HQ, where we shall destroy it once and for all. But for the moment I will show you to your sleeping quarters."

"Sleeping quarters?" Roxanne asked.

"You were obviously expecting us" Maxus stated as he followed Bridges to the guest rooms.

Roxanne had honestly expected a bunk-bed or something, but no, there was one single bed in each room, and they looked so- incredibly comfy. Nothing she'd ever seen before. Roxanne immediately perched on her bed, massaging the fabric, to find it very soft and warm, which would do good with the harsh nights they were currently having. She brought her legs up and curled up upon the covers, ignoring Bridge's 'Goodnight' to her, as she began to block the world out for a single moment. Roxanne lied there for several minutes, not moving, breathing steadily, eye-lids fluttering and threatening to close, which she didn't want, not just yet. She wanted to feel a sense of peace, before she was dragged to a deep slumber, she hoped.

Maxus slipped off his jacket and eased under the covers, wondering what tomorrow would bring. It's not like he hasn't been in life-threatening situations before, but this time there was a cost – that would crush him if he should fail - not only the safety of innocent people but this time, Roxanne was assisting him on this dangerous mission. Sure, she wasn't particularly interested, but Maxus would make it his priority to protect her from harm. He dread to think what he would do if she were to…

Maxus shook off his thoughts with a rough shake of his head and pulled his covers up, before gradually drifting off to a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Curse of the Medallion: Chapter 7 – Roxanne's Nightmare**_

Roxanne suddenly found herself standing in a cold, damp room. Everything possible was blocked from the outside. The windows were barred, with only few strays of moonlight breaking through to bring in the smallest fraction of light. The room was so cold; her breath was visible every time she exhaled.

Roxanne was overwhelmed at the sudden change of scenery, and had a dreaded feeling of deja-vu, like something about this dark, enclosed room was somehow familiar to her. She glanced around her. There was no sign of another presence, neither was there a door for that matter.

"Hello?" She called, not really expecting an answer anytime soon, but there was no reason why she shouldn't try. The silence after wasn't surprising, but she called again, just in case. "Hello?! Anyone?"

Roxanne huffed in aggravation, before she reached out to retrace some deep scratch marks engraved along the wall, like someone had been here before her, and she found that, less than comforting. She squinted, as she thought what could have possibly caused these marks. "Where the hell am I?" she mumbled to herself. Suddenly, she thought she heard heavy footfalls approaching her. She instinctively stood in a defensive stance, hands ready to launch ice spears if they were a threat. "Who's there?" She asked in a low, threatening tone. The intruder never answered, but she could finally make out a shadow advancing towards her.

"Answer me! Who are you? And what am I doing here?!" Roxanne barked.

The intruder chuckled at her mockingly, its laughter echoing around the room. Roxanne made to make a move, until several screams invaded her skull. Voices - broken voices, screaming out to her. Each scream grew louder and louder, other voices joining in as they pierced her ears. Roxanne was in excruciating pain as she tried to block them out, covering her ears with her hands.

She couldn't block them out. She collapsed to her knees, yelling for the voices to stop. She couldn't take it any longer.

Suddenly, the voices stopped, until there were only two voices talking to her, they sounded so familiar.

"You-you abomination! Don't know why we didn't get rid of you sooner. What use would you be to us?" One voice snarled.

"Too right! You were a failure to the family, and you always will be!" another snarled.

Roxanne instantly recognised them, they were her parents. The ones who had abandoned her at the orphanage and created a fake accident involving their deaths. The ones she felt nothing but deepest loathing for.

"Stop doing this mission to prove yourself! Nothing will change! You had the chance to redeem yourself, and you ignored it!" her dad screeched.

"No!" Roxanne protested.

"Face it Roxanne, you will never be anything, but a let-down"

"No…" Roxanne could feel tears threatening to fall, as she tried to choke back an impending sob, but she refused to let them fall – she would not give in to their satisfaction. Although it was - as she felt- the devastating truth, she didn't want to hear it from them, not after they betrayed her, and caused her to be like this. Soon, their voices dispersed, and a heavy sigh came from in front of her. _Shoot!_ Roxanne had forgotten about the stranger, who was still lurking and refusing to show himself.

"Poor Roxanne, there seem to be many who think low of you…me included"

"Oh, really? And how do you know me?" Roxanne spat.

"Oh, I know you very well. Better than anyone else I'd say…" The intruder advanced towards her, finally stepping into the rays of the moon, revealing his identity to her.

"Maxus?" she asked in disbelief.

"Hmph. Once again, I compliment you on your observational skills. You're getting better."

"What are you doing here? A-And where am I?"

"Don't you recognise it? You've been here before, you know, during your time as a prisoner."

"No. Not this place…I swore to myself I would never even look at this place again. It…brings back too many memories..."

Maxus continued to stare at her, his eyes roaming her as she looked around her in a panic – evidently wondering if anyone else was here, so he felt the need to clarify that.

"There's no one else here, Roxanne. Just you and me."

"But what about the voices? What the hell was-?"

"Now that I can't explain. Think of it as your conscience…"

Roxanne glanced up at him, and regretted it instantly as she met his dark eyes. She knew something was off about him, and something about him looming over her while she was emotionally vulnerable made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She tried to shuffle away from him, and find her legs to stand, but he had already knelt down in front of her, his eyes never leaving her face as a cruel smirk stretched across his lips. That smirk didn't belong there on him, so she tried to evade looking at him, settling her eyes on the floor, as she continued to shake with fear.

Maxus gave her a quizzical look, as he tilted his face to look directly into her eyes. "What's the matter, Roxanne? You're not, afraid of me are you?"

"What did you expect? You're not Maxus. Not the one I know anyway." Roxanne tried to sound threatening, but she failed. This earned her an amused chuckle from him.

Maxus gently placed two fingers under her chin, so he could turn her to face him. He tilted her chin slightly, and her eyes instantly fell on his. Roxanne could feel the full force of his stare, and it scared her even more. Never in her life, had she felt this scared. It was almost foreign to her.

"Of course it's me Roxanne. Who else could I be?"

"I don't know. But you're just different…" she paused as he cupped her cheek delicately, as his eyes drifted down to her lips. Roxanne saw this, and smacked his hand away from her. "Why are you here?" she snarled lowly.

"I just wanted to talk…" Maxus said seductively as another smirk crept across his lips.

"Well then, start talking!" Roxanne snarled, as she shoved him away from her and quickly got to her feet. "What the hell did you mean when you said 'you think low of me'?"

Maxus' smirk slowly faded and turned into a cautious look as he also got to his feet. For some reason, he still found her oddly attractive even when she was aggravated. "I suppose I meant, that you go through so much, just to prove yourself, and it's such a waste. I don't have faith in you, you see, I never did."

"I'm not trying to prove anything! I have nothing to prove! Not to my parents, not to you, no-one!" Roxanne snapped in defiance.

"Roxanne, come on, it's so obvious you're doing this mission so you have a chance to redeem yourself, but you know, deep down, that you'll never stop being a heartless, spineless, cowardly, bi-"

"Shut up!" Roxanne screeched as she hurled several ice spears towards him.

Maxus held up his arm as his eyes glowed a deep shade of red, melting the ice spears before they hit him, leaving a large puddle of water beneath them both. Maxus lifted his head to meet Roxanne's startled eyes, unable to hold back a smirk as she looked so uncertain of what to do next. She suddenly dashed towards him to throw a punch, but he caught her wrist and held it firmly. Maxus slowly began to pull her towards him, his dark eyes never leaving hers as she struggled to break free.

"Please, stop. Maxus this isn't you." Roxanne began to get desperate.

"Shhh." Maxus hushed her quietly. "I don't plan on hurting you"

"Oh, really? Of course from your actions, I never would have thought of that." Roxanne drawled sarcastically.

Maxus chuckled softly as he suddenly nuzzled his head against her cheek and whispered into her ear. "Although, If you're going to do this mission for anyone's sake, do it for Maxus'"

He peered back at her to observe her reaction, but she didn't seemed to be affected by it, but she appeared to be deep in thought, until she locked eyes with him. She seemed hesitant to say anything, so he took an opportunity and leaned in to press his lips against hers in a firm kiss.

He held her face as he continued to kiss her, even though the kiss was one sided. He tangled his hands in her hair as he started to make the kiss more forceful. Before Roxanne even had a chance to kiss back – which she didn't want to- he tore himself away, to view her flushed face. He smirked as he spoke to her softly. "Farewell, Roxanne". And with that, he vanished.

But she was still left here, unsure of what had just occurred. But her wandering thoughts were quickly dispersed as the wails and screams invaded her head again, impossible to make out any particular voice, as they were screaming over each other. Roxanne felt she was on the verge of being driven insane.

She suddenly woke with a start as she jolted upright in her bed, panting heavily and frantically as she scanned her surroundings. Yes. She was still in the base, in her room, not in that hellhole. A wave of relief swept through her as she gently lowered herself back onto the bed. She eyed her alarm clock.

2:30pm_. Great_. She had only managed 4 hours sleep so far, and already she had a nightmare. Just what was all that about? Why was Maxus' really there? If it even _was_ Maxus? Roxanne cringed as she remembered how dark he seemed during the dream. Why were those voices torturing me? Who did they even belong to?

Roxanne wouldn't have cared to admit that this nightmare had definitely shaken her up. Because she seriously didn't know why she was doing this _stupid assignment_. She could have so easily refused, and returned to her normal, everyday, non-threatening life, but she still chose to stay. Maybe Maxus did have something to do with it, but she refused to dwell on it now, she wanted to get enough sleep at least, if she wanted to be able to think straight in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Curse of the Medallion: Chapter 8 – Headquarters**_

Roxanne was awakened by the incessant bleeping of her alarm. She peered under the covers and realised it displayed 6:00am! Roxanne flung her arm out from under the covers to smack the machine off, only to swipe it off the bedside table completely, as it came clattering to the floor. From what Roxanne could tell, it was still dark outside, and the room was filled with several moon rays peeking through, and downright gloominess that depressed her down to the core.

Roxanne groaned lowly as she nuzzled her head deeper into her pillow as she rolled onto her front, wrapping the soft covers around her as she did so. She'd barely managed two hours sleep, since her nightmare had completely shaken her up. However, she was also deep in thought about her true intentions on this mission. It had crossed her mind that maybe she wanted the artefact for herself - she was a thief after all – but ever since Commander Bridges had shared the ancient legends with them last night, she had questioned her motives. Many had tried to retrieve it before and their failure had cost them their lives, and Roxanne was _not_ planning on dying.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard heavy footfalls in the corridor, until they halted just outside her door. Suddenly three hard knocks came from her door.

"Get dressed immediately! We have much to discuss" Bridges scolded in a gruff tone.

"At _six_ in the morning?!" Roxanne snarled.

"Be downstairs in ten minutes, before I drag you out myself" he warned as he turned to walk back down the corridor.

"You can try" She mumbled as she continued to scowl at the door, even though she was sure he had already left. There was definitely no shred of decency in him. Roxanne huffed in aggravation as she hurled herself out of bed, throwing the covers off of her as she went to the bathroom to make herself look a little more presentable.

When she had gotten dressed, she heard more shuffling from outside. _Oh, she had –had it with him! _Roxanne stomped towards her door and yanked it open, ready to snap his head off – not literally…_yet_ – but she collided with someone else. Maxus.

"I dare you to try and-! Maxus?"

"Had a rough night I see" Maxus smirked.

Roxanne remembered her nightmare in that moment, where he was there with her, but it wasn't…_him_. She stared at him for an instant, almost looking for a link between her Maxus and the dark one in her dream. "You have no idea…" She stated simply.

Maxus sighed deeply and leant against the wall opposite her door and cleared his throat. "Yeah, me too"

Roxanne glanced back at him and eyed him curiously, "What do you mean?"

Maxus met her gaze, and stared at her silently for a few stolen seconds. It wasn't really his thing, to admit about his poor sleeping habits, but it was just them here, no-one else to intercede. "Well if you must know, I couldn't sleep. Not without thinking about this mission we're doing and what it may bring for us…"

"We should just drop out" Roxanne stated.

"And then what? Millions of lives could be at stake here, and you're willing to risk that?" Maxus questioned.

"It may not even be true. For all we know, Bridges could have just made the whole thing up. I don't trust that guy as it is."

"Since when do you trust people anyway?"

Roxanne paused then, in a state of turmoil, unsure of what to do or say to him. It was true, though, she hadn't been able to trust anyone recently, since everyone seemed to betray that trust.

"Whatever. My point is, that this may be a set-up"

"You think that hasn't crossed my mind – I don't like this anymore then you do"

"Well you could've fooled me. Are you doing this because you just want to play hero again?" Roxanne quipped.

"People could be in danger, Roxanne. If so, then I plan to help out in any way I can. With or without your help" Maxus said sharply.

Roxanne locked eyes with him, trying to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. She wanted to say that she didn't want him doing this alone, if all the rumours and stories were true, then there was no-one way she was letting him. She almost missed the annoyed shouts coming from downstairs, which were no doubt from Commander Bridges. Maxus looked back at Roxanne before heading down the flight of stairs.

Roxanne was still deep in thought that she was oblivious that Maxus had stopped and was waiting for her to follow him. She came to her senses and followed him down the spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever.

Maxus and Roxanne entered the Commander's office and were instantly met with a scowling expression, followed by an irritant grunt from Bridges, standing behind his desk, his eyes fixated on them both. The awkward silence that followed was less than comforting for Maxus and Roxanne as they looked around the office, still stood in the doorway.

"Well it's about time. I was getting extremely impatient. Sit." He gestured towards the seats.

Maxus slowly sat as he stared intently at the amount of paperwork that appeared on Bridges' desk. _He must've__ been up all night. That made three of us_, He thought.

"Now, as you well know, today is the last day for preparation. We'll be moving out tomorrow-"

"Oh, joy" Roxanne drawled sarcastically, as she rolled her eyes.

Maxus shot her a pointed look, which was enough to get her silent, before turning his attention back to their Commander, who still held that indifferent expression.

"We will run through basics, such as contacting us, using our weaponry and tactics, but for now, I'd like you to meet someone. Captain, send her up!"

"Can't we just skip the introductions-"Roxanne began, before she was cut off, when the automatic door slid open, to reveal another soldier lurking in the doorway. All set of eyes were solely focused on the stranger, as they slowly and cautiously eased into the room. The stranger stepped into the light, to reveal a young woman, with long dark hair falling down her back. She shifted her weight, as she stood awkwardly in front of them.

"Comrades, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Adams. She'll be assisting you on your mission, and will be also assigned as your protector." Bridges gestured towards her, with a smile stretched across his face.

Roxanne scowled at her. _We don't need protecting. How could she 'protect' us anyway? If anything, she'll slow us down. _

The lieutenant approached Maxus and offered out her hand, which he eventually took. "It's an honour to finally meet you Maxus Primus." She said brightly, and then added, "You can call me Mary"

"It's just 'Maxus'" he corrected. "And it's a pleasure to meet you too."

Mary nodded and instantly turned and offered out her hand to Roxanne. However Roxanne merely scowled at her, shifting her eyes from her hand and back to her, with no intention of taking it.

"You as well, Roxanne" Mary smiled.

Roxanne looked at her hand and scrunched up her nose in distaste, before pushing her hand away. "Pleasure" she mumbled, as she turned back to the Commander, with a quizzical look across her face. "You're kidding, right? Her? How are we supposed to get it into your head, that we don't need protection, or any extra back-up, or hell, any dead-weight!" Roxanne snapped.

"Last time I checked, I was the one organising this, not you! It's not in your department to question my authority!" the Commander barked as he rose from his chair. "Know your place, raccoon!"

Roxanne didn't have the energy to argue anymore. It was too early in the morning; she had barely managed enough sleep, Bridges was getting on her nerves and now they had been appointed with another member, who was supposed to be their _protector?_Hell, she didn't need this right now.

Roxanne quickly rose from her seat, knocking it over completely, and stomped out of the room, before anyone could process what had just happened. She thought she heard someone call after her, but she ignored it.

"Roxanne, hold up!" Maxus called, as he went after her. It took more effort than he thought to catch up with her, but he eventually came to an arm's length away from her. It didn't seem that she actually acknowledged him, so he reached out to gently grip her arm. She quickly turned and slapped his hand away from her. "Not now, Maxus! Leave me be!" she snapped, before continuing down the corridor.

"Roxanne!" Maxus tried again, but she didn't even respond. With a defeated sigh, he made his way back into the Commander's Office, glancing apologetically at them both for her behaviour.

"That friend of yours needs to learn to control her temper…" bridges said sharply, giving Maxus a pointed stare, which made Maxus, feel guilty for some odd reason.

"Don't I know it…" Maxus replied, eyes trained on Roxanne's chair.

She'd been in her room for the whole day. Lost in her thoughts. She didn't know what was getting her so riled up recently. Roxanne knew she always had a big temper, just not as out of control as it is now.

During the day, there was movement downstairs from time to time; possible weapons training, meetings or general chit-chat, and she doubted the last one. While she may not know everything she needed to before she and Maxus set out, she intended to assist in this mission, _her _way.

Now and then, Maxus checked up on her when he wasn't needed downstairs, pausing outside her door, pleading for her to open up to him. Of course, she'd done that a lot recently; in fact, he was the only bloody person that she had actually confessed her fears and concerns to, and he had done his best to comfort her in any way he could. Roxanne owned him that. She couldn't believe she was going to do this the next time they were alone, but she needed to apologise.

The evening quickly came upon them, and since they were heading out early tomorrow and were to be transported thousands of miles, Maxus intended to get a decent night's sleep. The training was extremely tiring, and had really tested his endurance. He made a pass on the weapons though, claiming that he did not need them – which he didn't – and the plan had been forever planted in his memory, due to the amount of times he had it repeated to him. To be honest, he could still hear Bridges' assertive voice running through his ears.

Suddenly, he heard someone outside his door, and he instinctively reached for his pistol underneath his pillow as a precaution, as he slowly approached the door cautiously. He reached for the handle, and was about to yank his door open, when he heard a shaky voice, like they were on the bridge of tears.

"M-Maxus. Please open up"

Maxus immediately recognised the voice and opened the door to see Roxanne standing with her arms covered, in her ruffled nightwear. He inspected her face, and noticed that her eyes were red. _She must've been crying_. He instantly reached for her, and placed both his hands on her shoulders. "Roxanne, what's wrong?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"It's pathetic really..."She began, "but I had another nightmare…and I can't sleep. Could- could I maybe sleep in here for a while?"

Roxanne looked so embarrassed that she would even ask that question, but she looked so shaken up. It must've been one hell of a nightmare. "Yeah. Sure" Maxus replied, guiding her into his room towards his double bed. Maxus' room was definitely a lot more open than Roxanne's room was, and there was a certain scent to it that Roxanne couldn't help but inhale.

Maxus eased himself into the bed, as Roxanne slowly and awkwardly covered herself on the other side of the bed. Maxus reached across and turned off the abstract lamp on the side table, so only the remaining light from outside filled the room and turned back, to find Roxanne had moved closer to him. Her head and her palm rested against his chest - he knew she would feel his staccato heartbeat against her palm– and she looked so peaceful, that he didn't want to rouse her. Instead, he stayed put, with Roxanne actually leaning into him, while she tried to sleep.

Maxus was consumed with a warm feeling, which he hadn't experienced before, and he ached to touch her, but she spoke before he could even act on it.

"I'm sorry about the way I've been acting recently. I-I guess, in my own - weird - way, I'm scared. I mean, I'm actually scared." Roxanne chuckled humourlessly. _But not for me, I'm scared for __**you**__._ "God, I feel pathetic." She grumbled in disgust.

"It's natural to be scared, it's not pathetic-"

"For me it is" She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "I mean _me_, a thief who has confronted danger so many times before, is snivelling about a _stupid_ assignment."

"Nothing will happen. We'll get through this" he said calmly.

"Yeah, well, I hope so" she frowned as she nuzzled her head into his chest and inhaled deeply, before drifting into a blissful sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9 – Secrets**_

Roxanne grumbled as she made an effort to drift off again. She really didn't want to wake yet, since it had been such a peaceful slumber. Maybe it had something to do with being pressed against Maxus' body heat; his chest that rose and fell at a steady rhythm that felt so comfortable, his arms that had snaked around her waist during the night, and his legs that had tangled with hers, almost possessively.

Unfortunately for Roxanne, her mind had other intentions, as her heavy eyelids slowly peeled open - her vision blurred. Roxanne had expected to be met with the early hours of the morning. To finally witness the rare appearance of the sun that had been sorely missed during this particularly gloomy week. Everyone knows that the weather can have an emotional effect on a person, which can change the entire course of the day, whether it was intentionally productive or not.

However, there was none. No sunlight. No annoying bird songs. In fact, it was still dark.

Confusion clouded her mind as she turned reluctantly to observe the alarm clock, only to be met with the back of a couch. _Huh? A couch? Last thing she recalled was sleeping in a bed! _

Roxanne instantly sat up and searched for any indication of Maxus, but he wasn't here either. _What the hell? Did someone move me or something?!_

At closer inspection around her, it appeared to be the Commander's room. Everything seemed untouched from the last time she was in here. This did not help her current state. _So, she had been moved while s__he was asleep__, into the Commander's office and just left there?__ No that was absurd.__ For what purpose? _Surely there'd be some form of sign as to why she was brought down here. But there wasn't one.

Roxanne swivelled her legs to her front and carefully eased herself off from the couch so she could search. She instantly eyed the scattered papers on Bridges' desk. For good measure, she wandered over to the door and locked it with his key. She doubted her relationship with the Commander would become any less strained if he or a member of staff were to intrude on her search for answers. If no-one was to see to her when she was brought down here, then she would take their absence as an opportunity.

She scanned all the files, focusing mainly on the titles until she stumbled across something familiar.

_The Medallion of Mitzarah._

She recalled Bridges sharing the story about the artefact and how it was cursed. Roxanne wondered how a simple artefact could cause so much devastation as the Commander had implied. Maxus was certainly convinced that many lives were in danger just by its existence, and seemed adamant to consider both sides of that argument. Her curiosity outweighed her feeling of apprehension, as she opened the file.

As she turned the pages, she stumbled across a long list. A list of people as it was. Some of the names appeared to be crossed out and annotated. _What is all this?_

Roxanne suddenly lost her grip on the thick file, as it tilted, spilling several loose pieces of paper onto the floor. She cursed quietly to herself as she bent down to retrieve them, only to pause when she spotted photographs among the papers. They seemed to look like soldiers, definitely the Commander's soldiers since she recognised the uniform, and each picture had a small piece of paper attached to it. She inspected it closely.

_Name: Maurice Harper_

_Age: 42_

_Location: Known_

_Occupation: Captain_

_**Terminated**_

_Terminated? As in, assassinated or what?_Roxanne checked the date. _October 7__th__ 1:03am_

That would mean this death was recent! Only a few days ago, and before she and Maxus were employed. Is that why they were assigned, merely another pair of soldiers, risking their lives for an artefact that does or does not exist because they can't retrieve it themselves. Also at a cost of their own employees.

Judging by the amount of photos in her possession, they were all last seen on the departure and none of them returned alive.

Roxanne tried to process all the new information she had rattling around in her skull, before a click of the door's lock, completely snapped her out of her thoughts. In a state of panic, Roxanne quickly rearranged the files, remembering the order and tucked the information she thought was necessary for herself, into the back of her nightwear. _I thought there was only one key to this room!_She thought.

She honestly expected Bridges himself to stroll in, fix her with an accusing glare that would make her spill all her secrets, if not, scream at her the first chance he got for being in this room in the first place. However, the door was pushed open gently; by a minimal amount of strength to reveal someone leaning against the door way, arms folded and clearly not interested with Roxanne's presence in the room. Although, she knew instantly who had disturbed her.

"You again?" Roxanne growled warningly as she stood next the desk, trying to hide any evidence. She had remembered features from this dark version of Maxus from her first nightmare. His posture and eyes were the give-away. His eyes were always dark, with what exactly, she didn't know, however she saw something close to lust whenever she was close enough.

_So here she was again. Stuck in another nightmare. _

Roxanne hoped she would wake up soon so she could be reunited with_ her _Maxus. The one sleeping next to her, the one with an arm secured around her waist protectively.

"Naturally" Maxus replied, his tone indifferent.

"Why are you _here?"_ she asked, quickly growing impatient.

"I could ask you the same question. As far as I can remember, you need permission to enter this room"

"You've known me long enough to know that I have no intention of telling you" she spat.

Maxus smirked as he began to leisurely saunter around the room, absentmindedly looking at things as he passed. Until he came to halt and a flash of what could be realisation, ghosted across his face. He lifted his eyes to hers, challenging her, as if waiting for her to reveal every detail of her intentions.

Roxanne tried to avoid his gaze, so she settled her eyes on the floor again, angry at herself that she couldn't stare him down. She knew she had somehow confirmed what he had been processing in his mind; as she spotted his smirk grow wider, almost menacingly.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say you were reading Bridges' classified files of your assignment. You want answers don't you? For the lingering questions like –

"Like why isn't he telling us everything that's necessary? All this is relevant to our assignment, and there's clearly something else going on here that he obviously intends to keep to himself. There's something darker going on here, and I plan on finding out what it is."

Maxus remained silent, as he actually didn't have anything to say to that.

"So, do you plan on answering my questions now? What's your purpose here? Why do you keep appearing in my nightmares?"

"You got me, sweetheart. This is involuntary. I'm not choosing to be here, believe it or not. Taunting and teasing you was never my intention." Maxus was still smirking as he shrugged.

Roxanne's first thought was that he was obviously lying, but she detected honesty in his voice, which triggered a whole load of questions - that would probably be left unanswered – at once.

"You're not doing it on purpose?"

"Hell, no. As much fun as you always are – "he winked at her-"I'm not purposely meeting you every time you doze off. I just, find myself here. Why, don't you enjoy my company?" he smirked again.

"I thought you would have picked that up by now, and that's an understatement"

"Well. I can always fix that." Maxus spoke softly as he advanced towards her.

"Please" Roxanne scoffed as she rolled her eyes and scrunched up her face in distaste, like the words were bitter on her tongue. Maxus closed the space between them and placed his hands on her hips possessively, gently pushed her backwards until the back of her thighs collide with the desk, before capturing her lips with his.

For some reason, Roxanne felt great difficulty restraining herself. In a twisted, involuntary way, she wanted to kiss him back. And she felt her self-control slowly break down as he glided his lips down to her neck, relishing her surprised gasp that trickled down his spine, and made his grip on her hips slightly tighter.

He had been so damn inviting during these dreams, clearly showing interest in her, as well as instantly agitating her. Roxanne knew it was wrong, because _thi__s_ Maxus was twisted. She blamed him for being so seductive and regrettably blissful when he was with her.

_Damn it!_ She let her thoughts wonder for too long to realise he had unbuttoned and disposed of her outside layer over her simple nightdress. _Damn it!_Now, she was just in her black, thin, nightdress that stopped just above her knees.

"_Stop_." She said sharply, reaching for his arms and pushing them away from her, swatting away his eager hands.

He reluctantly pulled away from her, clearly displeased of her rejection, especially since it seemed they were going somewhere, but as she viewed his face, it didn't show disappointment at all. Instead, he looked smug, like he knew the thoughts going around in her head.

"You can deny all you like, Roxanne. I _know_ you want this" he said.

Roxanne found herself blushing fiercely, cheeks turning a deep shade of red, which probably provided all the proof he needed. _Damn him!_That was it. She would play at his own game now, for too long, she had been submissive and slightly nervous around him. Well, no more. She was braver than that.

"You're not at liberty to say what I do and do not want" She warned as she got right into his space, staring intently into his eyes, which threw him completely, considering she spent all the time trying to avoid him.

Maxus quirked an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "That's because I do know what you want." He paused again, before making his stare more forceful – if that was even possible – "…The artefact"

Roxanne remained stoic; she had no intention of showing any evidence of change of emotion. She had been at war about this herself. Maybe it was because she secretly wanted it for herself. It wasn't exactly a crime for thinking so.

"You're delusional. I wouldn't have a use for this artefact, so why would I want it for myself?"

"Sure, I am. Remember, I know you much better than you think. I practically have you figured out." Maxus stated as he crossed his arms.

"Oh, really? You can read me that easily can you? Well, I'll prove you wrong" she said quietly as she came close enough that their noses almost touched and they were able feel each other's cool breath ghost across their faces. Maxus watched her for a minute, before a half-smile crept across his lips as he sighed.

"You know you're adorable when you're ticked" He mused.

Roxanne scowled at him, eyes turning to serpentine slits as she remained silent, still staring him down, still daring him to challenge her. To her surprise, he backed down.

"So, leaving tomorrow, right? You sure you're ready for this?"

"I'm sure I'll manage…" She gritted out.

Maxus scoffed and shook his head. "Well, we can hope." He then gave her a lingering look, one that could register as…concern, like he was really tempted to march towards her again and give her a kiss or a hug, mainly anything intimate, but she refused to be delusional. Optimism was a very dangerous thing. "Good luck" He said soothingly, before he suddenly disappeared, leaving her alone once more.

Roxanne wondered whether she would remember everything after she woke up, because she knew she had stumbled across something vital, something that could make the difference between life and death. She just hoped she could tell Maxus in time….


	10. Chapter 10

_**Curse of the Medallion: Chapter 10 – A Familiar Face**_

Roxanne only had minutes. They were slipping through her fingers so easily. Her dream last night was still visible in her mind and she recalled every detail, especially the files that she had stumbled across. The _classified_ files to be specific. However, this information was linked with their assignment, so naturally she and Maxus would need to know.

This is what brought her sprinting down the corridor approaching Maxus' dorm. Roxanne begged he hadn't already headed downstairs with that heavy sense of duty on his shoulders. She lunged the last few steps and leapt at Maxus' door, completely caught off guard when it began to open and tumbled straight into him.

Maxus yelped in surprise, but instinctively reached out to catch her, causing them both to stumble backwards into his room. "_Roxanne_?! What the-" He grabbed her wrists and pushed her away from him so he could observe her face, which was flushed and her expression shocked with a sense of urgency. One that made Maxus focus all his attention on her. Everything else was forgotten at that moment. Roxanne seemed a little off balance, so he kept his grip on her and followed her movement, trying to get her to meet his eyes. "Roxanne, what's wrong?" Maxus asked steadily.

Roxanne's head snapped up immediately, as if remembering what she had specifically wanted to talk to him about, not that she had actually forgotten.

"I need to talk to you about something"

"Right now? –"Roxanne creased her brow in defiance and tilted her head to one side, "It's just we've been assembled –"

"It's urgent! "

"Yeah, you seemed pretty freaked-"

"It's about the mission and-"Roxanne checked behind her, before leaning in close to whisper, "Commander Bridges…"

Something was finally triggered in Maxus as he slowly moved past her and shut his door behind them with a solid click. He turned back to her, his face serious and his eyes calculating. "I'm listening…"

"You're going to think I'm delusional or something, but I had this- I mean I came across these files on Bridges desk that were marked as strictly confidential-"

"So naturally you read them-"

"That's not important" She warned as she shot him a glare. "Anyway, there was one which was labelled as; _'The Medallion of Mitzarah'_. I thought any more information on our part would be helpful, so I opened it and I found these photographs of his previous soldiers - and when I say 'previous' I mean 'deceased'- that were assigned the same mission as us, that were last seen at the departure. But the thing is- the soldiers were marked as _terminated, _which makes it sound like they were targeted." Roxanne knew she was rambling, but she needed to get this across.

Maxus processed what he was just informed. If that was true, then _who _was targeting them? And why? Bridges? Their Commander? It was possible, but now was not the time to jump to rash decisions and conclusions. They needed more information.

"Did you find anything else?"

Roxanne subconsciously thought of Maxus in her dream and shuddered. "No. I was-interrupted"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it means. Besides, you don't wanna know..." Roxanne grimaced. "So what, now?"

"We carry on as we are. No doubt Bridges will be brief when explaining what we actually need to do, and what's ahead, but for now, I say we lay low and gather more information until we can be certain. You with me?"

Roxanne nodded. We watched him as he began to leave. "I guess I wasn't _totally_ wrong about him then, in the end?"

Maxus smirked to himself, as he left the room without another word.

_Now what? _ That was a very good question. Maxus would admit that he had suspected something like that, but there were just suspicions; mere doubts, but now, everything he had thought about Bridges when they first arrived had been confirmed. Maxus had thought Bridges was a shady character from the first glance.

Maxus suddenly brushed shoulders with someone, which made him snap out of his thoughts and concentrate on the task at hand. Although who he crossed paths with was the person he least wanted to see right now…

"Watch yourself! - Oh, Maxus…I'll be down in a minute, there's something that needs taking care of" Bridges said, a little hurriedly, before marching down the corridor.

"Right…" Maxus mumbled, making no effort to sound interested or bothered whether Bridges was joining them later or not.

* * *

Maxus trudged down the staircase, wearing a scowl on his face as he watched the scene before him. Everyone was getting suited up. Equipment was stored and transported outside, while others were running about in urgent need of something. No exact words could be heard from a far, since everyone seemed to be talking all at once. He wondered if Bridges did plan to deceive them, what would happen to these people. _Were they in on it themselves? Or were they oblivious?_

Maxus spotted someone struggle to carry the cargo, so he rushed over and assisted them. He helped transport them outside, where a huge helicopter stood in the centre of the platform, already loaded with plenty of cargo, so he was curious as to what were in them. _Not just weapons, surely?_

In the distance, Maxus could swear he heard someone calling his name. He turned and recognised instantly who it was. He could never forget that familiar face.

"Maxus! Maxus!"

"Hey! How did you get here? This is a restricted and private area. Leave immediately, or we'll escort you off the premises." A couple of security guards blocked the stranger's path, arms stretched out, like they tried to prevent him from observing what they were doing. Although Maxus figured it was too late for that.

"Please, let me through! I need to get to Maxus!-"

"Sir, I advise you to leave or-"

"No, wait." Maxus said sharply, advancing towards the scene. "He's with me."

"Sir, the rules were no outsider's beyond-"

"I know, I know. I obviously forgot, didn't I? Let him pass."

They were reluctant at first, but they released the stranger and stomped off grumbling profanities under their breath. Maxus was sure they would report this situation to Bridges at some point.

"Well, well. Surely you know better than to charge into a high security area" Maxus smiled.

"I was kind of hoping you would be present when I did"

"Yeah, lucky for you." Maxus quickened the last few steps and pulled them into a quick embrace before patting their back. "How you doing, Zexal?"

"I'm good. So far" Zexal chuckled humourlessly.

"What are you- What are you doing here of all places? Hang on, how did you know I was here? Did you follow me?" Maxus asked, baffled.

"God. You were always one with questions…No. At least, not on purpose. I mean I knew you were in the city because, well ok, I followed you _there_ – I just wanted to hang out, alright - but it wasn't until I heard news that there was a robbery and a description of a hedgehog and a raccoon at the scene. I'm not saying I thought you were involved; I just had my suspicions so I investigated. I looked and looked, until I spotted you in this black, metallic car. Well now, here I am"

"And you were always one with talking…" Maxus mumbled, "Zexal, I've been here for a few days now, why didn't you visit earlier, you know, _before_ we intend to set-out?"

"I didn't know you were spending nights here. I waited, but there was no sign of you. Then this morning I heard a lot of movement behind the building, so I thought to try now."

"Not really your best timing really, is it? What do you want to talk to me about exactly?" Maxus remained serious.

"Well, it's just- Are you sure about this…assignment you're obviously doing?" Zexal rubbed the back of his head.

"_Honestly? _No. I have doubts"

"About what? _Roxanne?_"

"No. About where people's loyalties truly lie. Wait, what do you mean by Roxanne?"

"Well, come on. You're going on a mission to retrieve an artefact, and not just any artefact, an extremely powerful and valuable one – I overheard some men talking about the mission – but to me, that sounds like her kind of agenda." Zexal almost whispered his last words.

Maxus frowned at him for a moment. He knew Zexal didn't trust Roxanne, he knew very well. Maxus remembered the tournament then. How much Zexal was worried about him, how much he disliked Roxanne and how much he had supported him in between fights. Ironically enough, Zexal was the one who reminded Maxus that after the tournament, he and Roxanne may never encounter each other again. No matter how much Zexal disliked her, he tried to push Maxus into saying something to her about his feelings for her so that Maxus wouldn't live to regret it.

"Are you saying Roxanne might be trying to deceive me?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past her. She is a thief after all, her job is to deceive" Zexal grimaced. "She might be waiting for the opportune moment to escape with the artefact…and even leave you for dead."

Maxus suddenly felt sick, the thought of that killed him. He didn't want to believe those words, those words that had somehow clawed their way into his head. Maxus knew she wouldn't do that. She's different now. Not long ago, she admitted to him that she was scared and scared for _him_ also. No. Maxus knew Roxanne was changing and made sure to cling to that bit of hope.

"No. She won't" Maxus said slowly and sharply.

"Maxus-"

"She won't, Zexal" he said again, locking eyes with Zexal.

"I just don't want her to take advantage of your feelings for her and use them against you"

"Are you implying I'm weak now?" Maxus asked, with a hint of warning in his tone.

"I know _she's_ your weakness! I'm just warning you to not let your guard down around her. It's happened before, remember? In the tournament when she kept trying to kill you."

"You don't know her like I do! You'll never understand!-"

"You're right! I'll never understand! I'll never understand why someone as good and pure and loyal as you would fall for a person like _her_!" Zexal shouted, directing attention from everyone else, straight to him and Maxus, before an unusual silence fell between them.

Maxus' whole body was trembling and his fists were tightly clenched, so tight his knuckles starting turning white. He didn't like all the attention on them both, there were too many eyes on him. He clutched his head with his free hand as the dull thuds of an inevitable migraine started banging against his skull. He could physically feel the eyes of the others measuring him, and he loathed them all in that moment for witnessing this. Maxus needed to be alone, right now.

"I don't need this right now…" Maxus seethed before he stormed off towards the building, not knowing where he intended to go exactly. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Zexal outstretch his hand, but he ignored it. He never looked back.

Though he wouldn't have cared to admit it, but Zexal had struck a nerve there. His words in some ways, spoke truth. Maxus thought about it himself, he had for a second, thought that Roxanne may be intending to trick him again. He wasn't ignorant, or gullible. It's not like he hadn't considered this. It's just he chose not to believe it. Because he had undeniable… unconditional faith in her.

Someone suddenly collided with him and if he wasn't so buried in his thoughts, he would've scolded them, but as he lifted his head, he was met with aqua eyes.

* * *

Roxanne stood silently, eyes roaming his body as he seemed tense and frustrated. She didn't need to ask what was bothering him, it was probably written all over her face, but Maxus seemed focused on avoiding eye contact with her as he gently pushed past her. She wanted to call after him, but someone familiar had caught her eye. _Wasn't that a friend of his? I recognise him from the tournament…_

Zexal met her glare across the platform, neither of them moving, almost daring each other to make the first move. Naturally, Roxanne was the one to break the silence as she stomped over.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Roxanne growled, hand on her hip.

"I have no intention of sharing, especially not with you" Zexal spat.

Roxanne eyes him warily, "I uh, I just saw Maxus. He seemed pretty irritated about something, and I figured you may know something about that. Any theories?"

"None, whatsoever" Zexal replied.

"Don't test me. I'm not in the mood.-"

"Neither am I. I've only been in your presence a few mere seconds and I'm beginning to get impatient"

"The feelings mutual," Roxanne sighed, exasperatedly, "Look, evidently you being here is just causing trouble, so I think it'll be best for everyone if you just leave"

"I don't think you have the authority to give me orders-"

"No. But I can arrange an _escort_ from the premises if you refuse me. You've already had a close encounter, would you risk another?"

Zexal absent-mindedly turned his head to view the muscular guards watching them both; they didn't need to do much to look threatening. Roxanne started talking again.

"I don't know what you said to Maxus to get him ticked, but whatever it is, he's probably not going to dwell on it."

"I hope he does. For his sake." Zexal added before fixing her a glare.


End file.
